WHEN it comes to nations that have plenty of potential, there is no doubt Russia’s ATP Cup side will be a force to be reckoned with. Impressive seasons across the board over an interrupted 2020 will do Russia plenty of favours, although a doubles combination of an unknown quantity could throw things into question.

TEAM:

Daniil Medvedev
Andrey Rublev
Aslan Karatsev
Evgeny Donskoy

When it comes to top talent, there is no doubt Russia is on the way up with some impressive athletes and development over the past few seasons paying dividends. The top singles player is 24-year-old Daniil Medvedev, who currently ranks fourth in the world after a solid season in 2020, steadily improving and showcasing his development with an excellent ATP Finals win to top off his year. Russia’s second singles player is not far behind though, with 23-year-old Andrey Rublev finishing his season at eighth on the leaderboard with five titles for the 2020 season – leading the pack for the year. The duo’s evenness will be the real kicker for opposing nations, with little separating first and second, and both capable of beating anyone on their day.

Medvedev’s 2020 may not have shone quite as much as the ever-improving Rublev, but was still solid despite not making an ATP Tour final until the last two tournaments of the season. But an exceptional win rate against top 10 players – the best outside the big four of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray – and a confidence-boosting seven-game winning streak against fellow talent within the top 10, the 24-year-old can never be discounted. Meanwhile, Rublev’s 31 wins on hard court last season saw him lead the overall ATP Tour for wins on the surface, and given he will once again be back on his preferred surface at the ATP Cup expect the talent to prove relentless and just as impactful as he was during the interrupted 2020 season.

There is no doubt the duo will be tough to beat on court at the ATP Cup, although the real challenge for the nation will be the lack of depth in the doubles with Aslan Karatsev and Evgeny Donskoy unranked as partners but both sitting just on the outskirts of the top 100 so certainly capable of holding their own. While the duo could be a tough battle to come up against, their partnership – or lack of – could be a real question mark against more experienced doubles partnerships and cause some doubt for the nation’s progression in the tournament.

Overall, Russia is capable of pulling out some impressive wins with top talent amongst their first and second singles players. But realistically, if one falls and the fate of the nation is left upon the shoulders of Karatsev and Donskoy. That being said, the nation is placed in Group D alongside Argentina and Japan, so should get through the first group stage with relative ease.

Picture credit: Ella Ling/ATP Tour